Mr Farage quit as Ukip leader last Friday, delivering on a pledge to resign if he failed to be elected as leader of South Thanet.

The news risks making Ukip into a laughing stock. When asked last Friday morning if he would resign as he had pledged, he said: "Are you calling me a liar?"

Speaking after a meeting of the National Executive Committee, Steve Crowther, the party's chairman, said: "As promised, Nigel Farage tendered his official resignation as leader of Ukip to the NEC.

"This offer was unanimously rejected by the NEC members who produced overwhelming evidence that the Ukip membership did not want Nigel to go.

Fight

"The NEC also concluded that Ukip's general election campaign had been a great success.

"We have fought a positive campaign with a very good manifesto and despite relentless negative attacks and an astonishing last minute swing to the Conservatives over fear of the SNP, that in these circumstances, four million votes was an extraordinary achievement.